Name: Sarah Engles

Rally Table

What is the Rally Table teaching strategy?


Students will be in groups of two or four. The teacher will give each group a sheet of paper with a topic or question written on it. The teacher will set a timer and the first student who has the paper will write an answer or response to the topic or question given. That student will pass the paper to the next student who will also write a response or answer. The paper will get passed around the table to each student until the timer goes off. Each student must read all responses/answers before he/she responds, because we don’t want repeated answers or responses. The students are not allowed to talk or discuss anything during Rally Table. Once the timer goes off, the student with the paper will tally the number of responses, check for any repeats, and check for inaccurate answers. The teacher will then use this list to review the topic or question.


What are the benefits of this strategy?



Ø You can use this strategy with any subject, not just social studies
Ø It’s a great way to discuss answers that are both correct and incorrect, because there are no names with the responses àNo embarassment
Ø The responses help the teacher to determine how much of an understanding the class has about the topic
Ø It requires all students to participate

What are the limitations of this strategy?





Ø If students with IEPs do not receive accommodations for this, what if they get stuck and cannot think of a response?
Ø This strategy probably wouldn’t work for younger children who are still learning how to write and blend sounds to make words
Ø There’s no way to determine which student wrote which response
Ø The only way to use this as an assessment is to walk around and make notes of students who are and aren’t writing accurate answers